Despite two shark attacks this month in Ubatuba, on the coast of São Paulo, the president of the Argonauta Institute and director of the Ubatuba Aquarium, Hugo Gallo Neto, says that the probability of bathers suffering from such attacks is low, but that it is necessary keep watch.
“We have a 30-year history without this type of occurrence. Statistically, the probability is very low [de ocorrer um ataque de tubarão] unlike Recife”, said Gallo Neto, who is also an oceanographer.
According to him, the attacks took place during the last holidays and, therefore, many tourists and residents of the region were at sea. And some shark species were closer to shore in search of food.
“These two accidents happened on holidays when there were a lot of people in the water. We have to observe and maintain vigilance, but panic should not be generated because the probability is low”, he added.
Another factor raised by the oceanographer is the climate change in the region in the month of October. “We had a change in the climate, it rained 23 days in Ubatuba and some species of shark are closer to the coast. [Os ataques] may have been a combination of these factors.”
About the attack on the French tourist earlier this month, Gallo Neto pointed out that the man was swimming in murky waters and close to a school of fish.
“Human beings are not part of the shark’s diet (…) What happened to the Frenchman was that the animal came close, bit and let go. The two cases have this similarity. The 79-year-old woman was attacked by a larger animal. The animal took the bite and let go.”
Reference: CNN Brasil
